Olympiakos, Debt, and Death Threats

Last week, we told you about Greek hoops powerhouse Olympiakos, and their struggles with the law. They were in debt to an American that had formerly played for them, and by coming to America, they were finally within federal jurisdiction, allowing Federal Agents to attempt to collect on that debt.

But now, a twist! Sports Illustrated’s Ian Thomsen has the sordid details:

At the heart of this strange European tour are outstanding U.S. court judgments demanding that Olympiakos pay $1.1 million to American player Chris Morris, who played for the club in 1999, and $410,000 to his American agent Tom McLaughlin.

On Monday another American agent, Gary Ebert, who also represents Morris, filed a report with police in Shreveport, La., alleging that he received a death threat from someone who claimed to be associated with Olympiakos president and owner Panagiotis Angelopoulos. … Ebert says he then received a call from a man with a Greek accent.

“I got a phone call from a Greek cell phone number,” says Ebert. “The guy was going off on me to leave Angelopolous alone. I told him I’m going to get the money [owed to Morris]. The guy said, ‘Leave him alone, do this through the court.’ I said I have the right to call him. He said, ‘Look, (expletive), leave Angelopoulos alone or I’ll kill you.”

Umm… Death threats from anonymous Greeks? Am I having another dream about The Wire? Oh, wait: this is actually happening. And I have to say, it’s an excellent primer for what NBA teams may face when Mikhail Prokhorov takes over the New Jersey Nets. (Kidding... I think).

"Leave Angelopoulos alone or I’ll kill you." Mr. Stern, you wanted a globalized basketball culture, you got it. Hopa!